Eagle Ranch is a cozy cowboy town themed resort located at 14th mile, Jalan Pantai, Port Dickson. It’s about one hour from KLIA and Melaka.
Description:

Eagle ranch is a unique resort that resembles a cowboy town. They have tepees (these are small rooms made to look like tepees, its equipped with TV, air conditioning and individual bathroom), log cabins, and family size rooms shaped like a bandwagon, and also dormitories should you need to bring a big group.

We took the log cabin. It had simple decoration, a comfortable bed and open air bathroom. There is no phone in the room so room service is out of the question.

But the best part of the Eagle Ranch is the activities. There is archery (which my wife beat me at), paintball (should you have a group above 8 persons), canoeing, go-kart (which my wife beat me again) and also a small spa which was under renovation when we were there (thank god cause my wife loves to go to spas when we stay in hotels). There is also horse riding and pony riding.

Eagle Ranch has a restaurant called the Melting Pot where buffets are served. The breakfast spread was mediocre. There is a pub called the Watering Hole as well to fill those beer bellies.

Reviewed On:
May 2008

My Verdict:

Eagle Ranch really is a great place for large groups of friends who want non-stop activities to fill the days. That’s what makes it a very popular choice of destination for team building activities. It’s a fun place for kids and also the kids at heart adults.

This place is normally fully booked on weekends, I tried to book for a few weekends for a family gathering. I feel that you have to book very early for the rooms especially if you plan to come in a group. It’s also quite a distance from any food outlets. Just a note, Eagle Ranch doesn’t have a beach; you need to drive to Teluk Kemang for a good beach.

My Rating:

3 stars

The Berjaya Times Square Hotel is situated favorably in the hub of Kuala Lumpur. Thus, the luxury hotel is delightfully located in the best way suitable for banquet functions and corporate conferences. There is a monorail stop which is connected straight to the Berjaya Times Square shopping center. This monorail comes in especially handy, as you would need just around five to six minutes to get to the KL Central; to reach the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, you will need just an hour’s time if you take a car.

The hotel has all the high-tech facilities, amenities, and equipment to ensure the comfort and satisfaction of the guests. The highpoint is of course the presence of a variety of entertainment features in the vicinity. Near the Berjaya Times Square Shopping mall, you will find fantastic thrill rides in an indoor theme park, nine Cineplex halls, beverage and food outlets, retail shops, and IMAX 2D and 3D Movies theatres, all these in one place. For the youngsters, there is a lot more here that comes to life in the late hours of the day. This includes discos, clubs, and pubs which remain open throughout the night.

Berjaya Times Square Hotel shows off an incredible total of 610 lavishly maintained suites. With such plentiful assortment of luxury suits, from the unassuming Studio Suite right up to the double bed-roomed Brooklyn Suite, the Berjaya Times Square hotel brings in a novel connotation to the idea of “Luxury hotels”. Also, the hotel boasts professional and well taught service staff that ensures best service for the guests. On the whole, the Berjaya Times Square hotel is a wonderful luxury hotel to be in, with its service level way above average.

The following are some of the facilities you could enjoy at the hotel premises: awesome view of the beautiful city; well maintained swimming pool; international cuisines that provide you with almost any kind of food you like to have; fully loaded bar with the latest drinks; elegantly furnished conference rooms for business meetings; sheltered car park; Fitness Room; Hot tub and Sauna; Kid’s Splash pad; and Grand Ballroom and Level Seven, a revolutionary, multi-event venue specially for corporate hospitality.

Some of the other useful facilities in the hotel include Baggage Storage, Beauty Salon, Car Rental Desk, Concierge Desk, Florist, Foreign Currency Exchange, Gift Shop, Laundry/Valet Service, Local Area Transportation, Luggage Hold, Multi-Lingual Staff, News Stand, On-Site Convenience Store, Room Service, and Safety Deposit Box.

It is needless to say about the comforts in every one of the room in the hotel. They are well furnished and have the following: plasma TV, broad band connection to access internet; luxurious bathrooms with rain shower; Lounge access for executive rooms; and 24/7 room service. When it comes to timings the check-in time is 3.00PM and the check-out time is 12 PM. Advance bookings can be done either online or over the phone. For reservation and enquires you can visit the well-maintained official website to have a live chat with the hotel staff.

Selesa Port Dickson is strategically located about ten minutes drive from the Port Dickson round about. It’s easy to locate as the building is designed by its traditional Minangkabau architecture and it’s in front of an army camp.

Description:

Selesa has 213 guests’ rooms and suites. The hotel is located on a stretch of white sandy beach. The beach was very clean. This time around I noticed that the beaches in Port Dickson were really clean. Kudos to the PD Municipal Council. The hotel has a baby pool, a large adult pool, games room, gym and also an air-conditioned kid’s room. As we went on a weekday, we had the pool to ourselves. Only problem was that there was not much shady trees around. The beach had more large shady trees than the pool. So we spend most of our time on the beach and in the gardens.

The U-shaped design of the resort makes all the rooms closer to the main building where the restaurant and the facilities are.

When we checked in, there was only one restaurant. The Kelana Coffee House which opens 24 hours daily offering an array of delicacies ranging from Continental and Malaysian favorites. The Nira Lounge was only opened for weekends but they don’t serve alcoholic beverages there. It didn’t have a band but they were showing live football matches on weekends.

There was a buffet when we went to the coffeehouse for dinner. The food was ok but I felt it was a little pricey. As the occupancy was low, there was no buffet. So we were served an American Set instead of buffet. It’s ok because we normally don’t take a heavy breakfast.

Reviewed On:
June 2009

My Verdict:

For me this is a great hotel for families if you are in Port Dickson. Great location and is easy to locate. The hotel is quite old so don’t expect much. The plus point is that this resort is close by to eateries around Port Dickson. And also you have a great beach by your doorstep.

My Rating:

3 stars

Corus Paradise Resort Port Dickson Hotel is situated 3.5km from Port Dickson town on the beach along the coastal road. You can see it clearly as you travel towards Port Dickson town.
Description:

The first impression of Corus Paradise Resort was captivating when you descend the grand staircase to the reception area. What will greet you are glimpses of the sea as you descend the staircase. The resort has 200 bedrooms equipped with modern amenities. The rooms are equipped with either a king or two queen sized beds, IDD facilities, colour television with in house movies, mini bar, tea and coffee making facilities, hair dryer and safe.

Stayed there about 2 years back. The hotel room we had overlooks the sea. The room was beautifully decorated. But it is quite a big hotel so if you don’t mind lots families running around, it’s a nice hotel. This is because on weekends there are loads and loads of families with kids.

The beach has a small man made lagoon. Well I think that’s an eyesore because it looked like a mining pool. Not sure what was the reason of making a lagoon. I didn’t see any water sport activities. To me it looked like a mosquito breeding ground. The pool is big with waterslides for the kids but we prefer swimming in the sea. So we didn’t use the pool. For dinner we had the BBQ by the lagoon. The atmosphere was nice with the sea breeze blowing. But it was not well lit. So we had to eat in the dark.
Reviewed On:
September 2008

My Verdict:

It’s a nice resort for families to stay. The rooms were ok and clean. The hotel not too far from food stalls and on weekends there is a night market in town, so you can give their restaurants a miss. As for a beach, Corus PD doesn’t have one. Just a lagoon that looks like a mining pool in low tide.

My Rating:

3 stars

Avillion Port Dickson is located on the 3rd mile of the 18km stretch of Port Dickson beach. Its just near to the town but once you are inside you forget that the town is nearby.
Description:

Spread over 17 acres of land, the resort offers a spread of 300 rooms, consisting of the beach rooms, studios, garden and water chalets as well as the water villas. The resort is designed with the concept of a traditional Malay fishing village with chalet on stilts on the sea. The landscape around is beautifully wellkept and at times you will forget you are in Malaysia.

Their restaurants are Crow’s Nest, their all dining restaurant serving a mixture of Local and International a-la-carte cuisine anytime of the day. The Village Court is an open-air garden and pool view restaurant that serves a variety of light meal menus in the day to main meal buffets in the evening. Food is served from an open kitchen. They also have two lounges. The Gallery Lounge

is also open-air sunken bar where you will be entertained by a live band during the after hours and Jungle Fringe Karaoke & Bar which have four karaoke rooms that can sit up to 40 people.

We took their honeymoon package. It was my wife’s birthday and I wanted something special for her. Avillion didn’t let us down. The room we had was a water chalet on the sea. It had an open air shower and bath. We received with our package a bouquet of roses, candlelight dinner for two, a neck and face massage for two and two days of breakfast. The resort is surrounded with greeneries and like my wife commented you feel like you are in another place. The food was average. We had our candle light on the terrace it was quite romantic cause you can look out towards the sea. Service was good. As there were not many people we had the terrace to ourselves. Breakfast was also average but its ok we’re not big eaters.
Reviewed On:
May 2008

My Verdict:
An ideal place for anyone who wants to go on their first honeymoon or have many honeymoons like us. Take the honeymoon package, its really romantic.

My Rating:

5 stars

Seri Malaysia Port Dickson is a local budget hotel chain ideally located at Batu 4, overlooking the Straits of Malacca. The one in Port Dickson is located just across Teluk Kemang beach. Within walking distance to Pasar Malam (Night Market) and seven kilometer from Port Dickson town.
Description:

Seri Malaysia Port Dickson has 92 single, double, family, superior & deluxe rooms. Each room is equipped with an IDD telephone,

bathroom with hot and cold shower, colour television and

coffee and tea-making facility. The rooms are simple in decoration and were reasonably clean. I have also found the television too small. It looked like a 16 inch. They only show the Malaysian Channels and no cable. The Seri Malaysia in Port Dickson has a small swimming pool but it was not too inviting for us. The beach is located just across the road. Nowadays the beaches in Port Dickson are pretty clean with good facilities. There’s even shower room and shady trees. The municipal council is doing a great job.

They have only one food outlet. Café Teluk Kemang serves local and some international cuisine. The breakfast that comes with the room package is very simple and mainly with Local Malaysian dishes. There were fried rice, fried noodles, sliced fruits, rice porridge, bread with butter and jam. Well don’t expect much as the rack rate for this hotel is only one hundred forty ringit per night. Just walking distance there foodstalls are aplenty and the pasar malam is just nearby on weekends.

Reviewed On:
May 2008

My Verdict:

The plus point about this hotel it’s very near to stalls or shops selling food and souvenirs. This hotel is good enough if you’re going to be spending a lot of time outside, and only need a place to sleep. Don’t expect much luxury.

My Rating:

1 stars

Impiana Hotel Ipoh formerly known as Casuarina Hotel Ipoh is a 4 star hotel located in heart of Ipoh. It’s quite popular with the business and leisure travelers due to its strategic location with easy access to the city centre.
DESCRIPTION:
The hotel offers 200 spacious guestrooms with some rooms having breathtaking views of rugged limestone hills. All rooms are equipped with modern facilities. The time when we checked in there Impiana has just taken over from the old management. They were doing some renovation. The lobby looked beautiful and very impressive. We were lucky because we got a newly renovated room. The room was spacious and comfortably large. What was missing was the view. The room we got faced a construction site but who cares the room was nice.

They have two restaurants, the Garden Terrace Coffee House and The Bistro serving continental cuisine. Room Service is 24 hours, so you will never go hungry there. As we didn’t feel like going out for dinner, we had dinner in the coffeehouse. They had a buffet then. I figured as there was a seminar there, probably that is why they set up a buffet. The food was average. As my wife wanted to do some shopping next day, we didn’t have breakfast in the hotel. We went to the Jaya Jusco which was nearby. For shopping and breakfast.
REVIEWED ON:
May 2009

MY VERDICT:
I recommend this hotel to anyone who comes to Ipoh and is looking for a good and comfortable stay. So far the only thing wrong is its lack 0f ample parking spaces. If you don’t want to eat in the hotel there are some food stalls just about 10 minutes away. Its also a nice stopover if you plan to drive up to Cameron Highlands the next day cause its about one to one and a half hours from here to Cameron via Simpang Pulai.
MY RATING:

4 Stars

LOCATION:

The hotel is located on a small hill overlooking Tanah Rata, just behind the Sekolah Convent. It’s about a fifteen minute walk downhill to the town centre. A recommended activity to enjoy the cool weather and the fresh air.
DESCRIPTION:
The Heritage Hotel Cameron Highlands is located 1,500m above sea level which gives you a bird’s eye view of Tanah Rata. The room that we got was large and overlooking some hills. So it was nice to sit on the balcony sipping tea while enjoying the cool air and the view. The rooms have the normal amenities that you will find in any other hotel like coffee and tea making facility, some Astro channels and minibar to name a few. But I found that the bathtub was too small for me as I’m six footer and the length of the tub is 5 feet. So soaking was out of the question for me. Its Tudor styled architecture provides an ambience of an English countryside. Very much the theme of Cameron Highlands. Well it has to be as Cameron Highlands was a place where the British went to escape the heat in the old days.
The hotel hosts two main restaurants. The Rainforest Coffee House is the all-day dining outlet. The Chinese-themed Jasmine Garden Restaurant serves mostly Cantonese fares and steamboat while the Vintage Lounge Bar serves mostly cocktails and snacks. Upon booking, the reservation department suggested two different packages. One with breakfast for two and the other one with a steamboat set for two. As I wanted to go around town for dinner, I took the one with breakfast. Breakfast was simple, no different from the ones you find in other 3-4 star hotels. Staff was friendly. A suggestion if you like to try nice scones, just head to the Lord’s Café. The scones and apple pie there are heavenly. It’s just in Tanah Rata above Merrybrown.
REVIEWED ON:
November 2008

MY VERDICT:
If you are looking for a hotel near to town this is the best place. Also if you are planning to come to Camerons by bus, this is the best choice as the local bus service here is not that good and taxis are normally expensive up here. The main bus station in Cameron is located in Tanah Rata.

MY RATING:

3 stars

We took a room for 4 person and paid RM120 per night. The hotel is situated right next to City Square and you can reach there in less than 5 minutes.

Room condition:
There’s a TV set, air-conditioner & hot water for bath. One thing that I hate about our room is, the toilet door is not in a good condition. It doesn’t have a proper locking system and we have to use the pail to block the bathroom door from being opened from the outside. The TV is working but there’s something wrong with the system because the color system is not functioning properly.

There’s a Karaoke at the second floor & we can hear people screaming their lungs out till the break of dawn. But we still managed to sleep because we’re too tired exploring City Square, Plaza Angsana and Plaza Kotaraya that day to even bother.

Overall, it was a good experience and we are quite satisfied with the money that we paid for the room. But I will probably stay somewhere else for my next trip to JB next time.